My Flock Of Chickens...

I have 11 Chickens and roosters...We are NOT sure yet how MANY roosters..I had ordered 9 pullet chickns and one rooster chick..but I got 11 chicks..and I THINK 4 of them are roosters...time will tell! The reason I ordered a cockerel chick..is so that next spring I can breed them...I originally just wanted a " few" Laying hens..I decided to go with Barred Plymouth Rocks due to their hardiness , egg and meat quality.  We had raised chicken in the past..and like many aspiring back yard farmers..we bought hybrid layers..and hybrid meat birds...we would order them as chicks..raise them...keep the layers year round for eggs..and have the meat birds ( White Rocks heavy meat birds) butchered at the local processing place...We even had a few Turkeys...HOwever..it never seemed to be cost effective!  So now..older..and hopefully wiser...I have a plan!!!  I will breed these birds..hatch our some chicks in a homemade incuabtor..raise some for meat..and save a few hens to refresh my laying  flock!! Now I am NOT going off half cocked..pardon the pun...I have hatched eggs before...years ago..I rescued a rooster from and auction..built and incubator and hatched out 3 eggs for my sons to see...so I KNOW I can do it..I have even sent away for a book on how to build the whizbang chicken plucker!!  Look that one up on line...or look up " The Deliberate Agrarian"  This guy has a WONDERFUL blog! Anyway I am hoping that by hatching out my own chicks...raising my birds for meat and eggs without buying anymore chicks ( except a new rooster every other year for blood line reasons) And Butchering the birds myself.. I WILL be saving money!! Not to mention the fact..that my birds will be fresh..and raised by ME...and they ALWAYS taste better when home raised!  I have not put out the money for organic feed...I feed them feed from the feed store and scratch grain..throw off from my veggies...and so far the look lovely. I AM planning on feeding them BEETS next fall..YES Beets..Mangle beets to be precise...but thats another story..I will keep you posted!
I value you opinions! Thanks for listening..or..er..reading!
Bev